Spooky Eyeball Tacos

Spooky Eyeball Tacos

1 pound ground beef

1 package (1-1/4 ounce) taco seasoning mix

12 taco shells

3/4 cup salsa

3/4 cup sour cream

1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced black olives, drained

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix meat and seasoning mix; shape into 36 (1 inch) balls. Place in 15x10x1 inch pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Fill each taco shell with 1 meatball; drizzle with salsa. Top with 2 meatballs dipped in sour cream. Garnish with olives to resemble eyeballs.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Witches' Hats

Witches’ Hats

32 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

1 package (11-1/2 ounces) fudge striped shortbread cookies (32)

1 tube (4.25 ounces) orange or red decorating icing

Attach 1 chocolate candy to chocolate bottom of each cookie, using decorating icing.

Pipe decorating icing around base of milk chocolate candy.

Recipe and picture from BettyCrocker.com

Edible Eyeballs

Edible Eyeballs

Carrots

Cream cheese

Pitted black olives

Simply slice carrots into 1 inch thick chunks, top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive, and serve.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Ghastly Pear Ghosts

Ghastly Pear Ghosts

9 medium ripe Bosc pears

2 packages (14 ounces each) caramels

1/4 cup water

2 pounds white candy coating disks

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons shortening, divided

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup orange candy coating disks

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside. Wash and thoroughly dry pears; insert a popsicle stick into the top of each.

In a microwave, melt caramels and water; stir until smooth. Dip each pear into caramel mixture; turn to coat. Place on prepared pan; let stand until set.

In the same microwave, melt white candy coating and 2 tablespoons shortening at 70% power for 1 minutes; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Dip pears into coating; allow excess to drip off. Return to pan; let stand until set.

Melt chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening; stir until smooth. Repeat with orange candy coating and 1 teapoon shortening. Decorate ghost faces; let stand until set.

Recipe and picture from TasteOfHome.com

Mummy Face Pizzas

Mummy Face Pizzas

1 plain bagel (3-1/2 inch), cut horizontally in half

2 tablespoons pizza sauce

2 sticks string cheese

4 slices black olives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread bagel halves with sauce. Pull cheese into thin strips; place in random criss-cross fashion on tops of bagels to resemble mummy bandages. Trim ends with kitchen shears. Add olives for the eyes.

Place on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until bagels are crips and cheese is melted.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Black Bean Cat Crudites

Black Bean Cat Crudites

Black bean dip

Assorted vegetables of choice, such as:

-Celery

-Cherry tomatoes

-Broccoli

-Carrots

-Green beans

-Mushrooms

-Zucchini

Arrange vegetables in the shape of a cat. Serve with black bean dip.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Cheese Finger Food

Cheese Finger Food

Mozzarella string cheese

Green bell pepper

Cream cheese

Wearing plastic gloves or sandwich bags over your hands to keep the cheese as smudge-free as possible, use a paring knife to cut each string in half and then carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half.

Mark the joint right below the nail as well as the knuckle joint by carving out tiny horizontal wedges of cheese.

For the fingernails, slice a green bell pepper itno 3/8 inch wide strips. Set the strips skin side down on your work surface and trim the pulp so that it’s about half as thick. Then cut the strips into ragged topped nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Yummy Mummy Spinach Dip

Yummy Mummy Spinach Dip

1 package (16 ounces) frozen pizza dough, thawed

1 egg, beaten

2 sticks string cheese

2 black olive slices

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 green onion, sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Crackers

Pat dough into 12x6 inch oval on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Indent dough, about 3 inches from one end of oval, for the mummy’s head. Let rise in warm place 20 minutes or until doubled in volume.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush dough with egg. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Pull apart string cheese to make about 16 strips; arrange on bread for the mummy’s wrappings. Bake 1 to 2 minutes or just until cheese is melted; cool slightly. Press olive slices into bread for the mummy’s eyes; cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix sour cream and dressing in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Use sharp knife to remove bread from top of mummy’s body; scoop out bread from center, leaving thin shell on bottom and side. (Reserve bread top. Discard removed bread or reserve for another use.) Fill bread with spinach dip just before serving; cover with top of bread. Serve with crackers.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Forked Eyeballs

Forked Eyeballs

2 (11 ounce) bags white chocolate chips

12 doughnut holes

Semisweet chocolate chips

Tube of red decorator frosting

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

To coat a dozen doughnut holes, melt the white chocolate chips with the oil over low heat (and keep the chocolate warm while you work). With a fork, spear each doughnut hole and submerge it in the melted chocolate to coat it, then gently tap off any excess.

Stick a semisweet chocolate chip with its point cutt off onto each doughnut hole, cut end first. Place the forks (handle side down) in a mug and allow the chocolate coating to harden.

Use a tube of red decorator frosting to add squiggly veins radiating out from the pupils.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Spider Web Pizza Spread

Spider Web Pizza Spread

1 package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped pepperoni

1/4 cup alfredo sauce, divided

3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

1 pitted black olive, cut lengthwise in half

Crackers

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 3 ingredients; stir in 2 tablespoons alfredo sauce. Spread onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate. Top with spaghetti sauce.

Spoon remaining alfredo sauce into resealable plastic bag. Cut small corner off bottom; drizzle in spiral design over spaghetti sauce. Pull toothpick through sauce to resemble spider web.

Bake 20 minutes. Add 1 olive half for the spider’s body. Cut remaining olive half for the spider’s legs. Serve with crackers.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Bat

Bat

2 cinnamon red hot candies

2 oreo cakesters snack cake

2 pieces candy corn

Place cinnamon candies on top of 1 snack cake for the bat’s eyes.

Cut white tip of each candy corn piece; place on some cake for fangs. Discard orange ends from candy corn.

Use a zig-zag cut to cut each second snack cake crosswise in half. Add to sides of bat for wings.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Spaghetti with "Oozing Eyeballs"

Spaghetti with “Oozing Eyeballs”

2 pounds ground beef

1 package (6 ounces) stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup water

2 eggs

1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce, divided

4 sticks string cheese, cut into quarters

4 pitted large black olives, cut into 4 slices each

1 package (1 pound) spaghetti

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce. Shape into 16 (2 inch) meatballs. Insert 1 cheese piece into top of each meatball, with end of cheese piece just showing at top. Place on baking sheet. Top each with olive slice to resemble eyeball.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until meatballs are done. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and heat remaining spaghetti sauce as directed on package and jar.

Drain spaghetti. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Wickedly Fun Witches

Wickedly Fun Witches

24 oblong peanut butter-filled sandwich cookies

1/2 cup vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting (from 1 pound container)

9 drops green food color

4 drops yellow food color

72 miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

24 pieces candy corn

3 bars (1.55 ounces each) milk chocolate candy

12 chocolate wafer cookies

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place sandwich cookies on cookie sheet. In resealable food storage plastic bag, place frosting and food colors; seal bag. Squeeze bag until frosting is well blended. Cut small opening in bottom corner of bag.

Pipe thick line across each sandwich cookie near the top. Pipe 1 large dot of frosting above line on each cookie. Pipe squiggles of frosting to resemble witch’s hair below each green line. Pipe 2 dots for eyes, 1 for nose and 1 for mouth on each cookie. Place baking bits on dots for eyes and mouth; place candy corn on dot for nose.

Cut candy bar crosswise into quarters. Cut each quarter in half to form 2 triangles. Place 1 candy triangle over large dot of frosting on each cookie to resemble top of witch’s hat.

With serrated knife and sawing motion, cut each chocolate wafer cookie in half. Place cookie half upright on green line at base of each candy triangle to resemble hat brim.

Recipe and picture from BettyCrocker.com

Skeleton and Brain Dip

Skeleton and Brain Dip

1/2 leaf lettuce leaf

1 cup light ranch dressing

4 cups assorted cut-up fresh vegetables (red and yellow bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, snow peas, mushroom slices, celery sticks, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets)

Line half of small bowl with lettuce for the skeleton’s hair; fill with dressing. Place at one end of large tray or baking sheet for the skeleton’s head.

Arrange vegetables on tray to resemble skeleton’s body.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Cheesy Jack O' Lantern

Cheesy Jack O’ Lantern

3 green onions, divided

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 package (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped red peppers

2 slices pepperoni

Crackers

Cut 4 inch length from green end of 1 onion; slice remaining onions. Beat cream cheese and 1-1/4 cups cheddar with mixer until well blended. Stir in sliced onions and peppers. Refrigerate 1 hour. Shape into ball; roll in remaining cheddar. Cut pepperoni into shapes for the jack o lantern’s eyes, nose and mouth; press into cheese ball to make fa ce. Insert green onion piece into top for stem.

Serve with crackers.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Scary Skillet Shepherd's Pie

Scary Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables

1 pound ground beef

1 cup beef gravy

4 ounces (1/2 of 8 ounce package) cream cheese, cubed

1 cup milk, divided

1 cup water

2 cups instant potato flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook vegetables as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in gravy; simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Microwave cream cheese and 1/4 cup milk in medium microwave bowl on high 30 seconds; beat with whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk and water. Microwave 2-1/2 minutes or until hot, stirring after each minute. Stir in potato flakes and Paremesan until well blended. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; cut 1 corner from bottom of bag.

Remove 12 peas from mixed vegetables; stir remaining vegetables into meat mixture. Squeeze potato mixture into 6 mounds on meat mixture to resemble ghosts. Add 2 of the reserved peas to each for the eyes.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Mini Witch's Brooms

Mini Witch’s Brooms

Roll of fruit by the foot

Thin pretzels

For each one, cut a 2 inch length from a roll of fruit by the foot.

With the shorter ends on the side, fringe the bottom of the strip (leaving a 1/4 inch border uncut along the top) to create thin broom bristles.

Then moisten the upper edge of the fruit with a drop of water and tightly wrap it around one end of a thin pretzel stick broom handle.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Googly Eyes

Googly Eyes

White decorating icing

2 oreo cakesters soft snack cakes

2 cinnamon red hot candies

Red decorating gel

Place large dot of decorating icing near edge of each snack cake.

Press 1 candy into icing to resemble eyeball. Use decorating gel ot add squiggly lines for the veins.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Halloweenies

Halloweenies

1 can (8 ounces) crescent seamless dough sheet

44 cockatail smoked link sausages

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two 15x10x1 inch pans with cooking parchment paper.

On work surface, roll dough sheet out to 14x11 inch rectangle. Cut vertically to make two 11x7 inch rectangles. Cut crosswise into total of 44 (7x1/2 inch) strips. Pat sausages dry with paper towels.

Wrap 1 strip of dough around each sausage to look like a little mummy; press firmly at each end to secure. Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart for even browning.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe and picture from Pillsbury.com

Ghost Cupcake Cones

Ghost Cupcake Cones

1 box devil’s food cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

12 flat-bottom ice cream cones

2 cups powdered sugar

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme

36 miniature semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 teaspoon)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill each cone with 2 tablespoons batter. Refrigerate remaining batter. Stand cones upright in muffin pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until tootpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Place paper baking cup in each of the 18 regular size muffin cups. Use remaining batter to fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake and cool as directed on box for cupcakes. Save for another use.

In medium bowl, place 1-1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Add marshmallow creme; stir, pressing picture against side of bowl until it clumps together. Knead on work surface, gradually adding remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar on work surface and hands. Shape fondant into 12 balls (1-1/2 inches each) on work surface; flatten each to 5-1/2 inch circle.

Lightly spray serving platter with cooking spray to prevent cupcakes from sticking to plate. Turn 1 cone upside down, and place 1 fondant circle over cone, draping fondant to form ghost body. Place 2 miniature chocolate chips on face for eyes and 1 for mouth; if necessary, moisten fondant with a little water so chips stick. Store covered.

Recipe and picture from BettyCrocker.com

Melon Brain

Melon Brain

1 small seedless watermelon

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind.

Slice off the bottom of the melon to create a flat base that will keep it from rolling. With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain.

Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com